Dark Canine Book I: The Promise Of The Star
by Howling WereWolf
Summary: Eight years ago, Kylie lost her brother. Now a dog shows up at the firehouse for no apparent reason, except to stick by Kylie for the rest of its life. Eduardo/Kylie & slight Garrett/Kylie. Disclaimer: I do not own EGB.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

An eleven-year-old girl walked down the banks of the Mississippi River. She made a detour and slunk up behind a man seated on a painted wooden bench.

Aiming, she shot forward and pounced at him.

At the last possible minute though, the man ducked, and the girl caught a handful of air.

The girl pouted. "Aw, why do you keep dodging like that?"

The man got up and petted her lightly on the head. "Y'know, Kylie? In 'bout twenty years or so, ya **might** be able t' catch me."

The girl pretended to be angry. "Yeah? In **ten** years Sidus, **I** will be dodging **you**!"

"Really." The man answered without so much as a question mark in his tone. Turning around and walking towards the banks, he added "grow up first."

Kylie laughed and chased after Sidus.

The two were alike in some ways, and unalike in others.

Both had their father's black hair and mother's pale complexion.

Kylie had her mother's Gothic features and an adorable sparkle in her emerald eyes when she smiled, which was often around her favorite, one-and-only big brother.

Twenty-year-old Sidus on the other hand looked like an old man who had witnessed every war in existence, and his brown eyes were quiet and expectant.

Since Kylie's birth, they had lived and grown up together. Sidus had seen more pain than his sister had, since he was already a teenager at that time. Unable to go for the city life that got his parents so insane, Sidus had joined the army for a living. But he never left Kylie alone to live with pain if he could help it.

Sidus was the only real family Kylie knew. At least, he was the only family that gave her love.

Finally, Sidus halted and stooped down a bit, allowing Kylie to leap and jump onto the small of his back.

"Hn. Yer heavy." He grunted.

"I **am** a growing girl, **y'know**!" Kylie retorted, mimicking her brother's way of speech.

Sidus straightened up and balanced her on his muscular shoulders. "Whatever. Time t' go."

Sidus turned around and tramped away from the Mississippi River, back to his motorbike and the drive to the place where they lived.

"...Si?"

"Hmm?"

"Do we have to go back? I mean, what if they are fighting again?"

Sidus stopped. He knew what she was so afraid of. Reaching up, he wrapped his well-worn hand around her small one.

"Don't worry. No matter what happens, I'll be here for ya."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

A loud crash followed by cursing proved Kylie right.

They were fighting again, just as they had been doing since Sidus was nine.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!!!!"

"NO, THIS IS ALL **YOUR** FAULT!!!!!"

Kylie watched the two monstrous shadows hurling insults at each other as she silently made her way across the living room. The father was carrying a freshly emptied whiskey bottle, while the mother was waving her hands in exasperated manner. None of them acknowledged the presence of their children.

"TO HELL WITH WHATEVER POSSESSED ME TO MARRY YOU, SCUM OF THE EARTH!!!!!"

"**YOU** GO TO HELL, BITCH!!!!!!"

The father hurled his bottle. Drunk as he was, he had terrible aiming. The bottle sailed past the mother and flew straight for Kylie.

Kylie screamed and shrunk towards the floor.

The sick sound of glass shattering against flesh filled the room.

Held fast by the magic of shock, the father and mother ceased their argument.

Kylie felt no pain. A shadow loomed over her while something pattered on the floor in steady drops.

Kylie opened her eyes, and saw Sidus kneeling over her, his hands pressed against the wall to support his body. Blood that didn't soak his jacket splattered onto the floor.

He had managed to shield her from the dangerous bottle, but took the blow full impact.

Sidus slowly opened his eyes and lowered his head toward his sister. "...........Ky.........Ya okay?"

Kylie nodded mutely. Sidus stroked her hair with one hand, then shakily stood up. Grabbing a towel, he pressed it against his bleeding head and neck. He glared at the parents, daring them to stop what he had in mind. They backed off fearfully.

Sidus extended his free hand to Kylie. "....Let's go, Ky."

Kylie took the hand and let Sidus lead them out of the house.

Neither of them looked back.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Sidus had foreseen it all. The day had finally arrived when his parents went too far. So he was not surprised that it had happened. He was only surprised that it did not happen sooner.

He had already helped Kylie prepare a bag of necessities, plus one for himself. But his would no longer be needed.

They finally arrived at their Grandma Rose's house. Sidus had often come visit her in his childhood years, but this was Kylie's first time.

/At least Grandma Rose will treat Ky more humanely./ He thought.

The towel still pressed on his neck was already bright crimson and damp with blood. Releasing Kylie's hand, he dug inside his jacket pockets until he found a notepad, a pocket diary and a pen. Struggling, he started to scribble as legibly as he could manage.

_**Dear Grandma Rose,**_

_**It has finally happened. The parents I once knew no longer exist.**_

_**They succeed in killing me, so there is no reason for them not to try and kill Kylie as well.**_

_**If they make trouble, give my diary to the police. It has every single detail of the fights between them that caused my injuries as a kid, including the last one that caused my death. But if they don't bother you, then let them alone.**_

_**Kylie is a good girl, Grandma Rose. Please take good care of her, for my sake.**_

_**Your grandson, Sidus**_

Sidus tore the paper out, put it on the cover of his diary, and tied both together with a rubber band. Then he passed it to Kylie.

"Give this t' Grandma Rose. She's th' old lady with green eyes. Tell her yer name an' give her this book an' paper. Got it?"

Kylie nodded.

Sidus turned to leave.

"Aren't you coming with me?"

Sidus stopped. He was tempted to enter the house and live with them. But he knew that was not possible. He was feeling weary, and Death was starting to whisper in his ear.

He shook his head sullenly. "Sorry Kylie. Ya hafta go in on yer own. Grandma Rose won't let them hurt ya."

"But...But Si...I'm scared..."

Sidus looked back. He was scared too. He did not want to leave. But....still....

Sidus let go of the towel, letting his blood continue to soak his jacket, and hugged Kylie.

"Don't be scared, Ky. Ya gotta be strong. Yer gonna be a lady soon, an' yet gotta be able t' take care of yerself."

"Will you be here for me?" Kylie pressed on.

Sidus gave Kylie a man-are-you-dumb look. "Course I'll be here. Even if ya can't see me, I'll always be here."

Finally reassured, Kylie her death-grip on her big brother. Sidus pressed the doorbell, and staggered away as fast as he could behind a wall. He heard the door open, heard Grandma Rose say something, and then heard the door close again. When he looked back, he saw Kylie look out the window just once before Grandma Rose took her further into the house.

Sidus smiled. He knew Kylie would be safe.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

He last wish fulfilled, he struggled away, as far as he could from notice.

He finally arrived at a misshapen alley behind a rundown rent-out shop. It was dark and gloomy. As he sat down propped up against a wall, the black body of a wolfish dog moved. The animal had come to die in peace as well.

/Great. I have to share my deathbed with a dog./

Sidus closed his eyes, waiting for his strength to leave him. It took an eternity, and it confused him. This was supposed to be the end. He was supposed to be seeing the legendary tunnel with the light on one end. He was supposed to see a light. There was nothing but darkness because of his shut eyes.

/I can't let go. No matter how hard I try, I can't let go. Or is it because I don't want to let go.....?/

With just that one thought, all his passive will to die was washed out by a torrential wave of regret.

"Dammit!"

The dog opened its eyes and watched the human struggle futilely to get up.

Sidus gritted his teeth as his stiff and disobedient joints demanded him to stay put. "What am I doin'? I ain't goin' nowhere but home! I wanna take care of Kylie! I wanna watch her grow up and graduate! I wanna see her get married! I wanna baby-sit my nephew!" Beyond his control, tears started to fall onto his lap. "I wanna......see the d.....day that she.....finally.....d...dodges me!"

His strength suddenly started to fade at lightning speed, as though it was taking sadistic pleasure in his earlier heroic battle against the forces.

Sidus refused to give in. "I.....don't wanna......die li....like this....."

The last bit of strength finally left him, and he slumped down again.

The dog appeared to pity him. It rose and gingerly made its way to where he was. With its head on his lap, it lay down beside him.

Sidus finally submitted to the unpleasant truth, and gazed down at the dog. Slowly, he reached up and removed the chain around his neck and put it around the dog's. It had a silver star medallion, which bore his name, hanging from it. As he recalled, Kylie had earned money by running errands all over the neighborhood for an entire fortnight in order to have it custom-made for him.

The dog thumped its tail twice. Then it whined and shut its eyes for the last time. Sidus also closed his eyes, and let his life drain away and stain the concrete scarlet.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

_The next day:_

"Hey boys! Don't clock out yet!"

Police officers Eugene and Don were stopped and passed a note. "You guys are needed to stop by this area."

"Aw MAN! Our shift is, like, long over already!" Eugene complained.

"Look, I'm sorry about that. But you're the only lot left until the night shift comes in. And the guy says its urgent."

Don groaned and stuffed the note in his pocket. "Okay. We're going."

"Thanks a lot. The guy said to bring a body-bag."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Blech!" Eugene gagged and held his nose. "This thing's gotta be, like, about a day old!"

Don too clamped one hand over his face as he surveyed the scene. Blood stains covered the lower part of one wall and the floor beneath it. Amidst a crimson background lay a dead man in his twenties with dried blood all over his clothing.

/Join the copper force, they said. It's a man's life, they said./

Eugene studied the gruesome wounds on the back of the man's neck and head. Where the blood hadn't crusted over, slivers of glass stuck out and shone against the light of the setting sun. "Yet another bike gang war martyr. If these people enjoy fighting so much, why don't they, like, join the army or something?!"

"Let's just get this over and done with, okay?" Don whimpered. He couldn't stand being there one minute longer.

As they quickly evacuated and watch the body bag make its way to the body, a long thin mournful sound echoed through the evening air.

"If I'm not wrong, last night was Midsummer's Night." Don subconsciously put a hand to the brim of his hat. "Do you think....?"

"Naw! It's probably just some lovesick dumb animal. Let's hit the road! I promised my wife I'd be home on time!"

As the police car drove off, a distant shadow watched them go. Then it turned around, and disappeared into the park as the sun finally disappeared.

= * = * = * =


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Kylie brushed away the snow blanket from the tombstone before her. When she was done, she placed a small bouquet of flowers before it. As she did every year, she silently read the words engraved on the slab.

_**Sidus Griffin**_

_**1971 - 1991**_

_**The day he left this world**_

_**was the day the United**_

_**States was robbed of a**_

_**good man.**_

America had only been robbed of a good man.

She had been robbed of her only brother, the only one who had loved her for who she was for the first eleven years of her life. Grandma Rose had loved her too, but the pain of loss was not as strong.

Kylie had so many questions in her heart, but she would always thirst for those answers.

Finally, she just got up and left.

For some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.

From the bushes, a pair of brown almond-shaped eyes followed her every step.

~ * ~ * ~ *~

#OC POV#

I watch the Girl as she leaves the graveyard before I pad out from my hiding place, noticing how my coat shines with its entire luster in the setting sun.

Call me vain. I don't care.

What was the Girl called again? I think it was......Kylie? Oh yeah.....Kylie.

Amazing how eight years can make one so absurdly absent-minded.

I stop in front of the stone block and study the offering. The Girl - Kylie, I mean - left peonies again. I think I had a soft spot for peonies, once......

What am I saying?

After making my stop, I follow the G - sorry, Kylie - again. There's no big need for this. I know where she's going, anyway. But someone has to keep an eye on her, to make sure she reaches her destination safely. For what reason, I'm not too sure anymore.

Kylie finally walks to a tall red building, and enters through the door.

I slink over to a window and continue watching from there. Good thing no one really notices me.

Kylie takes out some papers - the Two-Legs call them assignments - and starts to write.

If I could, I would have smiled with overwhelming pride. Kylie has always been the clever one, with the potential of becoming a leader. For yet another reason I cannot remember, I love little Ky.

Dang! What am I saying?! I'm not **that** close to her.......Or am I?

Damn my memory.

As I watch, Kylie looks up in the direction of the kitchen. The Loud One emerges on his squeaky metal chair with big wheels, desperately mopping green stuff off his shirt and using a wide range of colorful vocabulary. The Green One is close behind him, once again cramming food down its 'black hole' in mid-flight.

Sigh......

The Loud One will never learn.

There were so many chances when the Two-Leg could just let the Green One have what it was after, and his shirt would remain intact. That's otherwise known as Peaceful Coexistence.

But no, the Loud One must, and will always, defend what he can't keep, and pay the price for it.

The Black One will not be in the house. The Black One will be with the Fatherly One in the next building.

I think they call it the garage. Whatever.

The Motherly One will not be present at all. She had left in her Box-On-Wheels the past morning, and had not come back yet.

The Stupid One comes down the stairs, sits on the couch, and turns on the Flashy-Box. About time he made his entrance.

Little Ky - oops, meant Kylie - isn't a tad happy to see him. Or the dancing bunnies in the Flashy-Box.

The Stupid One pretends not to notice. I can't believe that horrendous slacker. Not only is he stupid like I mentioned, he's suicidal.

Kylie throws a book at the Stupid One. Perfect hit.

Kylie - 1.

Stupid One - 0.

If I were a Two-leg, I'd be cheering and dancing around with furry colored balls. I'm just so proud of my little Ky.

Now where did that come from?

Slip of the tongue. So help me.

Kylie, the Loud One and the Green One go further into the kitchen, out of sight. The Stupid One is alone.

Time for Operation Grand Entrance.

Slipping through the open window they never bother to shut, I make my way towards the couch with the stealth of a predator stalking its prey.

I leap onto the seat directly beside the Stupid One.

The Stupid One yelps like an immature female and runs into the kitchen. I have the satisfaction of watching him go.

Kylie - 1

Me - 1

Stupid One - -1

Result of Operation Grand Entrance: 100% Success.

#END OF OC POV#

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Garrett cleaned off the rest of the slime and dumped the paper towels into the trash bin. "Whacking Goat Boy with your Math Book isn't going to improve his algebra any."

Kylie was once again bent over her History paper. "I was hoping it would make him stupid enough to forget how to turn anything on."

Garrett shrugged and snatched his donut out of reach as Slimer came zipping up again.

"Maybe you should just give it to him." Kylie advised.

"But I want to eat this!"

"Which would you rather have: a slimed shirt or a clean one?"

Before Garrett could give her a proper answer, a loud yell filled the air. Slimer saw his chance and stole the donut from the unprepared hand.

Eduardo ran in, arms flapping and eyes wide with terror. Garrett and Kylie watched him babble incoherently with some amusement.

"I bet a Jumbo-sized box of chocolates he saw a zombie in a horror flick."

"Joy. He screamed like a girl."

"I did NOT!" Eduardo tried to shout back. It came out as a pathetic squeak, and Slimer got the giggles.

Scratch it. Slimer got a LOT of giggles. Enough to land him into the pot of cold coffee. Splat.

"So....what DID you see?"

"Look for yourself...."

Garrett and Kylie looked in each other's direction, shrugged and went to take a look.

They found a large black furry creature lying on the couch where Eduardo had first planted his butt. It raised its massive dark head and stared at them.

"........So a dog got in. I'm horrified."

The dog defiantly fired a man-are-you-dumb look at Garrett. Kylie found it vaguely familiar.

Then she saw the dog's medallion on chain-collar.

It was the shape of a star, twinkling gently in the lamp light like a real one. Inscribed in black letters on it was, presumably, the dog's name: Sidus.

= * = * = * =


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"So Egon, whatcha make of it?"

Egon shrugged and offered the dog a piece of his turkey sub. The dog picked up the poultry meat delicately and swallowed. Egon continued surfing through the Kennel Club website.

"I would say this canine is an Alsatian, more commonly the German Shepherd. A perfect purebred too."

The dog rolled its eyes, but everyone's attention was elsewhere.

Egon squinted at the screen and nudged his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "Strange. No picture matches, no name record of Sidus.....Nothing tallies."

Kylie watched as the dog yawned and lay down at her feet as though he belonged there.

"So what do you propose we do?"

Egon scratched his temple and leaned back against his chair. "Well......There's always the traditional Lost And Found ad in the newspaper. If the owner sees it, problem solved. But until then, the Alsatian will have to stay here."

"Seriously?"

The dog was staring at Roland and sending shivers down his spine. "Not that I dislike dogs but, you know, after that ectoplasmatic dog spooked New York's pooches, I don't think I'm keen on being a dog person."

Finding Roland rather boring, the dog was now watching Eduardo out of the corner of its eye.

"Hey, what are **you** lookin' at?" Eduardo snapped. He was still pretty pissed after the fright the dog had given him.

The afore-mentioned canine growled back in sheer defiance.

Eduardo glared.

The canine accepted the challenge and growled all the more. Its voice sounded like thunder that vibrated the floorboards.

"I'm going to get some water."

The dog's growl immediately wilted. It got up and trotted after Kylie like the lost dog it was.

Eduardo scowled after it. "I hate that @£$%^ mutt."

Roland tried to make peace. "It's just a dog, Eduardo. Take it easy."

"Jealousy, my friend, is one of the many constituents of hatred."

Eduardo glared at Garrett. "What's your point, Roller Boy?"

"Nothing, Peach Fuzz. Nothing at all." /Maybe the fact that this dog gets more of Kylie's attention than you./

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

#SIDUS POV#

I follow Kylie down to the kitchen.

A dull brownish black streak of coffee trails across the floor, up the wall, across the ceiling, and out the door frame.

Looks like the Green One got a caffeine bust to boot.

A drop of coffee falls splat on my nose, and I lick it off. Me stupid. Nothing tastes worst than cold coffee.

Sure, I am a dog. Dogs have a sense of taste too.

Sidetracked again. Back to where we were.

Kylie is drinking from her glass of water and watching me.

Coffee's dripping all over me, and I'm freaking out with every bit of the foul stuff that lands in my mouth.

My Dignity flies out the window in search of more sanity-retained premises.

/Okay Kylie, this is not funny anymore. Towel please?

Kylie? Stop laughing.

C'mon. Seriously, being marinated in cold coffee that has toured the ceiling isn't very dandy. Stop laughing.

Fine. Go ahead and laugh. But I'd prefer to be dry, y'know./

About time, Kylie retrieves the box of paper towels from the counter. "Come here, you dummy. You're getting soaked."

/Wow. Really? But thank you for noticing./

Kylie takes out a few towels and proceeds to dry me off.

I never realized how warm or soft her hands are. The feeling is vaguely familiar, but I might be wrong. I mean, this is the first time we are this close to each other.

Kylie rubs dry the back of my neck, and then she fingers my collar. "Where did you get this?"

I just look at her innocently. The truth is, I not so sure myself. It's been on me for as long as I can remember.

Joy. It's just little ol' me with my terrible memory.

"It looks a lot like my brother's. His name is Sidus, too."

That's it. She's got my full attention.

"I remember having it custom made for him, before he left for the army. He never took it off since the minute I gave it to him. He promised to keep it forever."

His chain. My collar. We are both Sidus. The only difference is that her Sidus is dead, and I'm standing right here getting my coffee-drenched fur dried out.

Are we somehow connected? That, I will find out in due time.

Right now, I'll just enjoy the bliss of hearing her speak, feeling the warmth of her touch, and just being close to her.

Is this why I am here? Why I chose to make my entrance instead of remaining hidden in her shadow?

I sure hope so.

#END OF SIDUS POV#

= * = * = * =


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Back upstairs, Slimer's caffeine frenzy had simmered down. He flew into the room and dripped coffee all over the carpet.

"That's gonna leave a stain."

The others nodded in agreement.

Slimer babbled the closest thing to the word "sorry", and then flew off to find something to clean up, leaving more coffee trails on the floor.

"Leave it, Slimer. Janine will be here any minute, so..."

The roar of a car engine interrupted Egon halfway.

Roland looked out the window and watched Janine's car pull up. "Egon? What does Janine feel about dogs?"

"Hmm......I never thought of that...." Egon shrugged. "I suppose we'll just have to wait and see."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Janine's eyes followed the long black-brown snake that zigzagged, twisted and swirled all over the firehouse. "Joy. I just take a day off to see my folks, and what happens?"

The drop of cold coffee that landed with an audible smack on the table wasn't very helpful in answering her question.

"That's it. I'm getting a mop."

Janine retrieved the cleaning tool of her choice and headed for the kitchen. Kylie was still there with her now-empty glass, coffee-stained paper towels, and the still-damp-but-reasonably-clean black German Shepherd.

Janine stared at the dog.

The dog stared at Janine.

Egon and the boys had just come down, and could only stand by and watch.

Kylie cleared her throat nervously, believing the best but expecting the worst. "Err....Janine, meet Sidus."

Janine let out a shriek that hit the roof, causing half of it to come falling down and smashing the television in the living room. Then she raised her mop and made merciless but futile attempts to bash the dog into a bloody pile of bones and innards. When she realized that her plan wasn't working, she grabbed the first proton pack she could find and started shooting the poor animal, causing more parts of the firehouse to come crashing down. After she had crushed the pooch under a pile of concrete, she turned on Kylie for even saying anything.

In some isolated-from-the-world shrine, there was much prayer for the team's survival.....

_Actually, good readers, that is what my father would have done. I just couldn't resist. Ahehehehehe......_

_-- **Slick BlackWolf**_

_**In An Alternate Universe:**_

LENG TFC: SLICK!!! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!

Slick BlackWolf 'eeps' and runs for his life, with LENG The Flying Chocobo in hot pursuit.

LENG TFC: I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE ZAKI'S KID BROTHER! TOUCH MY PENTIUM® PROCESSOR AND **DIE**!!!!!!

What happened to him is someone else's business.

Back to the story.

What Janine **really** did was smile and look at the professor in that I-know-your-secret-but-I'm-not-mad-at-you way.

"Oh Egon, you didn't."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

#SIDUS POV#

Looks the Motherly One finally shows up. Now that foul wet pain to my nerves is going to be history.

What would these guys do without her? Whatever she says, goes.

She's nice for an Alpha Female. I'd admit to that much.

The Fatherly One has just finished explaining to her where I had come from, where I might go in the possible future, and where I would be staying until then.

"Of course he can stay!"

/That sounded pretty.....enthusiastic/

"So he won't bother you, Janine?"

"Are you kidding? I **love** dogs!"

/Whoops. Secret's out./

The Motherly One looks at me like a lovesick pup. "Besides, who could object to such a cute little sweetheart like him?"

CUTE?

LITTLE?

**SWEETHEART?!**

I'm **not** CUTE, I'm **not** LITTLE, and I'm definitely **not** a **SWEETHEART**!!

I'm supposed to be VICIOUS! I'm the one who proved the Stupid One sounded feminine!

Wait a minute........

Uh oh.........

I start to beat a retreat, but she catches me 2½ seconds before I can reach safety zone.

Now she has her arms around me in what I call a death-grip and what she calls a hug. "Aww, come to Mama cutie!"

WARK!!!

My ribs!!!!

She's crushing them into a million cells!!!!!

Kylie!! Anybody!! Help me!!

......h-e-l-p.....m-e........

The Stupid One is laughing at me. I don't blame him. After all, he hates me and I hate him. But the others are also laughing, if not smiling.

Et tu, Kylie?

Traitors.

GASP!!

NO!!!

My lungs! My heart!! They're NEXT!!!

Everything's turning black!!! My body's going numb!!!

TAKE ME NOW, GABRIEL!!!!!!!!!!!!

#END OF SIDUS POV#

"Err...Janine?"

"Yes?"

"Umm....I think you should put him down now. He looks like he could use some air."

"Huh? Oh."

Janine released her hold on Sidus. The dog, too intent on trying to squirm out of her grasp, simply slipped and landed on the floor with a loud thud.

With the pride and dignity of a sprayed cockroach, Sidus yelped and scuttled into the living room with tail between legs.

Janine was completely clueless. "What's the matter with him?"

"Might be psychological behavior." Egon was looking at an "All About Dogs" book that was collecting dust in a shabby corner of his book collection. How it got there, we will never know. "Although Alsatians are known to enjoy human company, some canines just do not like to be cuddled."

"Naw. The dog's just shy! He'll be back for more in a while!" Eduardo had enjoyed himself watching the dog freak out.

He wasn't cruel or anything. He was just enjoying a ½ minute of indirect payback.

Right on cue, the German Shepherd reappeared at the doorway. He had something in his mouth, which probably tasted good to him as he growled with pleasure.

Eduardo jumped nearly a foot in the air. "Surrender my homework NOW, mutt!"

Sidus zipped away with a crazed Eduardo in hot pursuit. The others watched in stunned silence.

"Eduardo actually did his homework? I thought it wasn't humanely possible."

"Ever since we were dragged into the ghost busting business, nothing's humanely possible."

More silence.

Janine picked up the neglected mop on the floor. "I don't suppose any of you would want to help me clean up?"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

#SIDUS POV#

Just because I don't blame the Stupid One, doesn't mean I can't give him an injustice transfer.

"Alright doggy boy! SHOW YOURSELF!"

There's the Stupid One right now. Ooh. He's got one of those shiny green-shooting thingies, whatever they're called.

I am **so** scared.

I make my literally stinking entrance and grin at him. /No paper./

"Where's my homework?" The Stupid One gets in closer and gags at the smell of my 'cologne'. "Phew! Jeez, you smell like........garbage?"

Bingo.

"NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The Stupid One runs to save his precious works.

Chump.

I pull out the papers from where I hid them under the couch, and leave the room to chew them in peace.

Or maybe I'll just wait for the Stupid One to come back and start Round Two.

#END OF SIDUS POV#

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

A 20-year-old young man was walking down the street when he saw someone halfway down his garbage can.

"Hey Edward! What up, dude?"

"The dog lost my homework in the trash!" came Eduardo's muffled reply.

"?" The man looked at him quizzically. "I doubt Mrs. Fieldsburg will be convinced. Lots of luck though!"

Then he continued on his way, leaving Eduardo to feverishly dig for his assignment.

= * =

LENG TFC: Well peeps, that's another chapter up, with no thanks to Slick BlackWolf.

Slick BW: Sorry.

Sidus (mimicking Sailor moon): In the name of the moon, I will punish you!

LENG TFC: What for? Making Janine.....y'know, do **that**?

Sidus: Like, DUH!

Janine: But all I did was - 

Sidus: I know, I know. Hug and squeeze and cuddle and CRUSH!

LENG TFC: At least I let you chew up Eddie's homework and make him dig in the trash.

Eddie: You're cruel......Both of you.....

LENG TFC: Here. Have a cookie to make it all better.

= * = * = * =


	5. The Christmas Special

**The Christmas Special**

Almost everyone has gone to spend Christmas with family. Death makes an entrance. Sidus gets what he has always wanted. Good or bad?

A/N:

This is for you Eduardo/Kylie lovers out there! Specially StormyWolfBowler!

Thank you for your reviews!

= * =

The mailman trudged along the sludge-covered path and poked a stack of envelopes into the firehouse door slot.

Janine took the mail, shuffled through the bills and Christmas greeting cards from the insurance agencies, and went upstairs.

Egon, as usual, was studying for ectoplasmatic bases on a rock fragment that a past acquaintance had sent him.

"Hey Egon. We've got something from the old team."

Egon put down the piece of granite and opened the envelope to reveal a card. Egon looked over it once before passing it back to Janine. She looked through it as well.

"Let's go tell the kids."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"A Senior G-Buster's Christmas Reunion?"

"That's what Peter called it. It's just a get-together party for us 'oldies'." Janine explained.

"Slimer was invited as well. So since he's coming along with us, we need at least one of you to stay and keep the firehouse maintained."

"I can't, sorry. My folks are expecting me to spend Christmas with them." Roland said.

"Mine too." Garrett added.

All eyes turned to Eduardo and Kylie.

"Sure we can stay."

"Settled then."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

That night, a while after the others had gone, Kylie joined Eduardo on the couch. "What's on?"

"A marathon of classic horror movies. Nothing special."

At that point, Sidus slunk out of the kitchen. He clambered onto an empty spot between the two humans and snuggled beside Kylie.

Eduardo frowned. "Dumb mutt."

Kylie sighed. "You're ridiculous! Just why do you hate each other so much?"

She got up to get water. Sidus immediately stood up.

"Stay." Kylie ordered, referring to the both of them. "Solve your differences."

Sidus turned his head to stare intensely at Eduardo. Then he snorted and plopped down again with his back to the Latino.

"Purebred or no, I still think you're a dumb mutt." Eduardo muttered.

The dog did not reply.

Eduardo glared at the dog's rump. He could visualize himself giving it a nice hard shove, but that would earn him a painful gnaw on his biceps. Not worth the trouble.

Kylie had a point. Why **did** he hate the dog so much? The fright and homework incident seemed too distant to stir anything up.

There were awful screeches coming from the set, but neither seemed to care.

"Why do you always pick on me, anyway?"

Still no answer came from the opposing party.

"You don't know how lucky you are." He grumbled. "Kylie's a cat person, and she's got a cat of her own. But you're with her with at least half the day every day. She's always taking your side, always feeding you, always talking to you, and what's more, she's always smiling at you. I'd give anything to be in your place."

"Whose place?"

"Gah!" Eduardo nearly fell over as Kylie came back into the living room. "Y-Y-Y-You heard everything I said?!"

"What **did** you say?" Kylie stared at him as though he had sprouted another head.

Eduardo turned beet red. "Nothing."

As though he were cutting Eduardo some mercy, the dog jumped off the couch and walked out into the next room. Now Eduardo was all alone with Kylie.

Kylie stared at the screen for a while and yawned. "Don't you find this boring?"

"Umm......I wasn't really paying attention....."

Eduardo wasn't about to admit that he had been spending the entire time looking at her.

Kylie shrugged. "Whatever." Then she yawned again.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

#Sidus POV#

I left Ky and the Stupid One as they were, side by side on the couch watching stuff blare out of the Flashy-Box.

As I remembered, there was this poor Two-Leg in a white mask with holes that first got buried by who-knows-who, and then he's surrounded by operatic screaming women.

I decided to leave the house for a while. All that shrieking from the Flashy-Box was giving me a headache.

Ky has a point: Why **do** I hate the Stupid One so much?

Does it have something to do with a past experience? I never knew him _that_ long.

Or does it have to do with his attraction to Ky? But what has _that_ got to do with _me_?

I'm so sick of the way my memory works.

Suddenly, the most terrible and vile odor wafts in front of my nose.

It is the pungent smell of death. Not of one, but of many.

A sudden hiss is followed shortly by an ice-cold gust of wind.

Another of the two-legged kind appears before me.

He wears a black robe that covers his entire body. His bold white head is withered and creased with age. Two large wings lay at rest upon his clothed back. His restless hand fingers the long lean pole of a scythe.

"We meet again, my boy."

Warning sirens blare in my head.

Why do I feel so uneasy?

Is this yet another Two-Leg I don't know, yet find vaguely familiar?

With a rustle of cloth, a withered hand resembling a bird's claw is held palm-down over my head. Unfeeling glass-like eyes stare straight in my being.

"ARISE!"

Everything starts to fade into the color of his robe. 

All my muscles give out on me, and my brain goes numb from weariness.

What's going on?

#End of Sidus POV#

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Eduardo yawned and rubbed his eyes.

Yep. Those horror movies were indeed BOOO-RRRIIIIINNNNGGGG!

/ Guess that comes out of facing the real horrors every day. /

He turned his head the other way. "Hey K....Kylie?"

Kylie was leaning back against the couch with head drooped to one side. She was already in La-La Land.

Eduardo gently tapped her on the shoulder. "Kylie?"

[Ooh....Wrong Move.]

Kylie mumbled something in her sleep. Then she suddenly slid right, her head landing with a soft thud on Eduardo's lap. Not even near to acknowledgement on what she was doing, she sighed contentedly and curled up with feet facing the arm rest on the other side.

[I bet a lot of you E/K fans are singing Hallelujah about now.]

/ Uh oh. / Eduardo turned a dark shade of red that would have made the green grocer's ripest tomatoes go green with envy. 

He was stuck in a dilemma: He could wake her up immediately, let her find out her current position, and face her wrath. Or he could just let her sleep until she woke, and still face her wrath.

He decided to go for the second option. That gave him a longer life-span.

/ Ah well. It's kinda nice, actually. It's not everyday a gorgeous babe sleeps on your - On no what am I THINKING?! Bad Boy, Eddie! Bad Boy! Bad Boy! /

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The Grim Reaper smiled as the black body flopped to the floor, its spirit rising from it.

The spirit was that of a young man in his twenties. If he were alive, he would have had noticeable brown eyes and black hair.

He was apparently displeased at that point of time.

"Let us depart, Sidus Griffin." Death beckoned. "**It Is Time**."

The spirit stared at him, facial expression betraying complete amusement.

"Oh come on, give me a break sonny! I always wanted to say that!"

Sidus rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

The Grim Reaper turned to leave. "Okay, seriously, let's go."

"Like I told ya th' last time: I ain't goin nowhere."

"Still so stubborn." Death sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. This one gave him annual migraines. "Look here sonny, just make my job easier, will you? You're eight years due to the Pearly Gates already!"

"Ya know my answer. I'm not leavin'. I made a promise to my little Ky, an' I intend t' keep it."

"Kylie Griffin's a grown woman, my boy. She can take care of herself. She doesn't need you to constantly watch over her twenty-four hours a day."

"I know. But a promise is a promise, wouldn't ya agree?"

"Besides, I can tell that she and Eduardo Rivera have quite a future."

Sidus' eyes promptly narrowed. "All th' more I'm stayin'! I don't trust that stupid Latino for peanuts! I mean, will you take a second look at him?!"

"Ah-ha. You have sister complex." The Grim Reaper shook his head in defeat. "Very well! I'll make an exception, considering you're my most burdensome and tiring case yet. I'll let you be the 'wandering ghost' you are!"

He struck the spirit once with the blunt end of his scythe. Color rushed back into the translucent body. Within a matter of seconds, Sidus looked just looked like he had been the eight years ago.

Sidus smirked. "Y'know, ya could've saved yerself a lot o' trouble if ya had done this sooner."

"Oh hush." Death folded his arms and watched Sidus admire his new look. "I'm out of here. If your family finds out about you and seals you away in a box, don't come crying to me!"

As suddenly as he had made his entrance, the Man with the Scythe dissolved into the night air, off to claim the next one on his list.

Sidus half-saluted absentmindedly after him. He scooped up his limp body in his hands, and turned back toward the window. The sight within nearly made him drop his load.

"What th' hell.....? What are they DOING?!"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

This wasn't good.

Then again, it didn't feel so bad either.

Eduardo poked his hamstring. His legs had fallen asleep a while ago, and he considered joining them.

He looked down at his sleeping teammate, whose head was still inconveniently across his thighs.

The bolder part of him suggested he sleep there and then, but the other wanted to grab said part, and paddle it for being naughty.

/ I give up. /

Eduardo gently raised Kylie's head off his lap, careful not to wake her in the process. Propping it up with a cushion, he got off the couch and walked out of the room, returning shortly with a blanket and covering the sleeping girl with it.

"Night Kylie." He mumbled. Then he trudged off to find somewhere else to turn in for the night.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Sidus waited for the Latino to leave. Then he gently carried his resident body across the living room.

Placing it under the kitchen table, he headed upstairs.

There was a certain Spaniard he needed to talk to, without waking his sister up.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Eduardo was nearly asleep when he felt something tingle his spine. 

He creaked open one eye.

Then he backpedaled fifty feet.

A young spirit was hovering over his head and glaring at him.

Sidus rolled his eyes as Eduardo's searched the room for a proton gun or ghost trap. "Aw c'mon! Do I have th' words 'I'll Eat Ya If Ya Don't Shoot Me' shaved into the top of my head?"

"What Are You?! Who Are You?! What Do You Want?!" Eduardo tried to fend off the offensive-looking thing with his hands. "Everything is negotiable except for my life!"

"Quiet, youse. Ya'll wake Kylie." Sidus sighed and shook his head. "First, I'm a spirit that's as deadly as yer spud-cum-bottomless pit, Slimer. Second, it's none of yer business. Third, ya an' me need t' talk. T' conclude, both of us will be in full hit points, an' ya won't remember even seein' me."

Eduardo took a while to calm down and absorb everything. Then he shrugged. "Okay. Shoot." / This guy seems harmless enough. /

Sidus sat down on the chair he had been squatting on.

"So ya like Kylie, don't ya?"

Eduardo once again burned red.

Sidus shrugged. "Sue me. I'm usually kinda tactful, but I've only got till one."

Eduardo glared at the apparition. "Look, just what makes you so damn sure that I like Kylie?"

"Been watchin' ya since ya two started workin' here. Yer always 'hit me, hurt me, anything t' show ya dig me'." Sidus' eyes narrowed slightly. "Plus, I got t' see yer little episode in th' livin' room."

"That - That makes no sense at all!"

"Yer blushin', boy. Th' end justifies th' means."

Eduardo grunted and threw his hands up in frustrated surrender. "So okay, maybe I **do** like her. But what business is that of yours, anyway?"

"Find out in yer own time. I gotta go now." Sidus leaned forward and tapped Eduardo once on the forehead before he could retaliate. The mortal's eyes promptly rolled back, and he was back in his slumber.

As the spirit departed from the room, he added softly, "Merry Christmas, Rivera."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

_The Next Morning..._

Kylie awoke to the warm moist feeling of Sidus' rough wet tongue against her face. "Morning, boy."

The dog panted as it gazed fondly at her with its soft brown eyes.

"You seem pretty affectionate today." Kylie scratched the dog's ears as she moved the blanket to one side. / What am I doing on the couch? /

"Merry Christmas, Kylie."

"Oh. Same to you, Egon. Merry Xmas." Kylie got up and stretched. "When did you guys get back?"

"Somewhere around 1.30 am or later. Janine decided to sleep in, and I just woke up a little while before you did." Egon offered his student a mug of black coffee.

As Kylie accepted the beverage, she noticed a scarlet box secured with ribbon tucked under Egon's armpit. "What would that be?"

"This?" Egon smiled as he undid the wrapping. "You could say its a Christmas present from Janine and I, for all of us. Here, you can be the first one to look."

Egon lifted the cover, and brought out two shining tags. One held the Firehouse address and contact number. The other was a license tag. With a big grin, he bent down and strung them up beside the star on Sidus' medallion.

"Really? You mean it, Egon?" Kylie could not help but smile herself.

"No one answered the ad. Besides, I think we all have developed a soft spot for him. Wouldn't you agree?"

At that point, Eduardo came groggily down the stairs. 

He stared down at the dog, noticed the additional tags, and groaned. "Someone tell me this is just a nightmare or something......"

"Okay. Maybe not all of us."

= * = * = * =


	6. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
About a week later.  
  
Sidus was curled up under the kitchen table when Kylie returned to the firehouse the next day. Roland was leaning on the counter flicking cheerios into the entrance to Slimer's bottomless pit.  
  
Kylie sat down and fed the dog a piece of meatloaf she brought. "Any calls?"  
  
Roland shook his head and popped another cereal into Slimer's mouth. "Egon's went to visit his relative for the week. Eduardo and Garrett got here about, say, half an hour ago. They were kind of bored, so now they're..."  
  
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU BEAT ME AGAIN! I WAS SO CLOSE!"  
  
"EDUARDO! THERE'S NO NEED TO SHOUT!" Janine shouted from the basement.  
  
"...Upstairs playing Mortal Kombat on Egon's Dell 45-inch flat-panel?" Kylie guessed.  
  
Roland nodded. "In a nutshell, everyone's going to go loco unless we're hired."  
  
As if an answer to prayer, the phone started to ring. Janine could be heard dashing to her desk and grabbing the phone off the hook. "Ghostbusters! How may I help you?"  
  
After a series of mumbling and muttering, the phone clicked, Janine passed her notepad to Roland and hollered up the stairway. "Pack it up, kids! You're needed on the other side of New York!"  
  
"We gotcha, Janine!"  
  
The foursome ran around getting Ecto-1 as well as their equipment ready.  
  
"Have fun!" Janine called after the departing ambulance. Then she went back to refill the coffee machine. "I wonder why they took the dog with them..."  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~  
  
Roland frowned at the windshield. "Um, Garrett?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Could you open the back window? There's... a living thing on the roof."  
  
As soon as Garrett obliged, a large black German Shepherd with a star- shaped medallion clambered into the back beside him.  
  
Eduardo glared at his four-legged archenemy. "Who invited you?"  
  
Sidus growled back. Garrett rolled his eyes and sat back to give them more room for their "who's the better hypnotist" competition.  
  
Kylie decided to intervene. "Lay off Eduardo! He's just a dog, for Assisi's sake! C'mere Sidus, and let Eduardo alone."  
  
Sidus obeyed with a big smile on his doggy face. Eduardo watched as the dog smirked in his direction. "...Dumb mutt." He muttered.  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~  
  
The Ecto-1 pulled over at an old factory later that night. Waiting for them was an old caretaker at the doorway.  
  
"You took your time, alright!" He snapped.  
  
"Where's the spook?"  
  
The man pointed inside. "Got some oversized turkeys tearing the machines apart. The boss is paying for a good job done, so keep that dang dog under control!"  
  
"We will." The team got into gear and shuffled into the ancient building. The floor was asking for a decent polish.  
  
"That caretaker looked pretty calm for being spooked."  
  
Kylie flicked on the pke meter. "Guess it's kinda hard to get freaked out by a pea-brain, Class 5 fowler."  
  
Roland sneezed, raising another cloud of dust.  
  
"Gesundheit."  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~  
  
Lichmonde watched his newfound prey wander deeper into its territories. "This is easier than I thought it would be."  
  
The large raven then descended next to the caretaker, and turned into a huge monstrosity, bearing features of both man and bird. The caretaker did not so much as flinch. His eyes were blank and glowing like lamps.  
  
Lichmonde patted the caretaker like a street dog. "Well done, lad. In you go to get my office ready."  
  
In a flurry of feathers, the caretaker turned into a dull brown sparrow. The sparrow chirped twice, and flew in through a window.  
  
Lichmonde smiled and scratched a feathery chin with his forelimb talon. "This could turn out to be a very good day..."  
  
= * =  
  
What has LENG put the EGB up against?  
  
Will they live to tell the tale?  
  
LENG: Don't you just LOVE cliffhangers? ^_^  
  
Zaki: /Glances at watch/ It's nearly 12 midnight.  
  
LENG: Great, it's WAY past my bedtime, but at least I'm done! [Plops down on bed] G'night, Shiro!  
  
Zaki: Night, LENG. And don't call me Shiro.  
  
= * = * = * = 


	7. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
= * = * = * =  
  
LENG: Another chapter up! I'm SOOOOOOOOO HAPPY!  
  
Zaki: LENG?  
  
LENG: yah?  
  
Zaki: You're a wimp.  
  
= * = * = * =  
  
Deep within the premises of the factory, the little sparrow descended down next to an evil looking two-headed cockatoo.  
  
"Wark? Wark?"  
  
"Chrrirrrp! CHRRIIRRIIPP! Chirp!"  
  
"WAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRKKKKKK?"  
  
(A/N: In order to continue on from here, the bird dialogue will be translated to English from this point on. Apologies to purists.)  
  
"What brings you, comrade?" queried the left head.  
  
"Lord Lichmonde has sent human scum into our midst." The sparrow began matter-of-factly.  
  
"WHAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTT?"  
  
The sparrow winced. The left head grinned bird style. "Sorry. I just always wanted to do that."  
  
The right head muttered something about having more control over outbursts and clunked Leftie upside the head.  
  
The sparrow ruffled his feathers. "His Highest demands them 'purified' one by one. He wants no questions, but a handsome reward will be divided amongst you."  
  
The cockatoo shrugged and revealed its true form. "Who's to question Lord Lichmonde anyway? We'll do his will at once."  
  
"One more thing, boys." The sparrow spread his wings and took flight again. "Bring the girl to our Lord's roost alive. He has some...plans with her."  
  
The feathery humanoid nodded both heads, and the two ghosts parted company.  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~  
  
"Found anything?"  
  
Garrett looked up and counted off his fingers. "Let's see... Floor dust, wall dust, table dust, chair dust..." he was cut off by another sneeze. "...And possible cold germs."  
  
Kylie sighed and rolled her eyes in perfect mimicking of her dead brother. "I meant anything ectoplamatically-based?"  
  
Garrett suddenly felt...naughty. "Sorry. Not my line. Go check with the Gothic gal that took over your body."  
  
Kylie glared in his general direction. "Don't EVER call me that."  
  
/ Man, she's so damn cute when she's mad. / Garrett grinned like an idiot. "C'mon, chickadee. Don't kill me cos' I love your hair. OW!"  
  
Kylie smirked with satisfaction as Garrett tried to shake an angry black canine off his hand. "I wouldn't, but my personal bodyguard here might."  
  
"Letgoletgoletgoletgo!"  
  
Sidus looked the redhead dead in the eye for a minute before he released, leaving even the glove still intact. (A/N: Did you think I would let my OC hurt any EGB besides Eddie? Puhleeeeeeez!)  
  
"Hey. Look at this."  
  
Roland picked a feather off the ground. It was glowing faintly. With his other hand, he held up his pke meter.  
  
"That our ghost?"  
  
Roland shook his head. "Not likely. We've been picking up class 5 across the hallway. But according to these, this feather came from a class 8."  
  
"So Tweety's got friends?"  
  
"You could term it that way." Roland put the feather away for Egon. "I'm going to get a couple more traps. Garrett, you coming?"  
  
Garrett followed, muttering something about a rabid monster breaking his finger joints.  
  
Just as they left the door, Eduardo let off a sneeze that echoed across the walls.  
  
The door slammed shut and cut out all the light.  
  
"Hey! I didn't sneeze that hard!"  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~  
  
Roland and Garrett glanced back behind them at the door.  
  
Roland reached forward to open it again. The knob would not even turn. "What's going on here?"  
  
A low hiss of rushing air echoed across the hall. Garrett looked up. "Oh man..."  
  
Roland got his cue and looked up as well.  
  
Standing on a supporting ceiling beam was a large feather-covered winged creature with the head features of an overly large wild turkey.  
  
"That's gotta be our spook."  
  
"Or an escapee from Janine's oven."  
  
The turkey-monster raised a clawed hand and screeched.  
  
Garrett immediately raised his proton gun and fired. The creature shrieked and hissed as it tried to free itself from the green proton energy.  
  
"Trap it!"  
  
"I haven't got a trap! It's in the-" There was a thud and Roland passed out on the floor  
  
"Roland?" Garrett lost concentration and accidentally released his captive. The half-bird wasted no time in knocking him senseless as well.  
  
A second ghost fowler joined it in inspecting their would-be captors.  
  
"Humph. Too easy."  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~  
  
Eduardo kicked the door again. "Darn things jammed."  
  
There was a moment of silence.  
  
"So, now what do we do?"  
  
Eduardo shrugged. "We just keep going?"  
  
"Good idea. This way."  
  
Kylie opened another door and led the way deeper into the factory.  
  
= * =  
  
Zaki: That's two down, three more to go, and LENG is nuts.  
  
LENG: HEY!  
  
Zaki: That part where Garrett's naughty is very disturbing.  
  
LENG: That was meant to be the slight Garrett/Kylie hint.  
  
Zaki: You're bound to get someone upset.  
  
LENG: And what would they do to me?  
  
LENG is answered... by a spiked anvil that is presently covered with blood- covered dead ducks.  
  
Zaki: I think that's your answer.  
  
LENG: DON'T HURT MEH!  
  
= * = * = * = 


	8. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
#Sidus POV#  
  
This is not good.  
  
This is so not good.  
  
I can feel something watching us. I bet every time we go through another door, it locks behind us.  
  
We're gonna be stuck here for eternity...  
  
"Come on, Sidus! Hurry up!"  
  
Enough with my panicking frenzy! I've got Ky and Rivera to protect!  
  
Check it out. Ever since Death paid me that visit, I've got all my memories back. I even know names by names.  
  
Ooh look. I think they're gonna start fighting again.  
  
"Argh! This is taking forever! Let's just ditch the dog!"  
  
"Well, I happen to like the dog."  
  
"He's vicious!"  
  
"He's loyal!"  
  
"He's probably rabid!"  
  
"He has vaccination tags!"  
  
"He's a hound from hell and he gives me the creeps!"  
  
"He's our only security system besides the guns, so live with it!"  
  
Bingo.  
  
Guess I'd better dump my paranoia and get a move on.  
  
#End of Sidus POV#  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~  
  
There was one room unlike the other rooms. The factory walls were made out of plaster. This room had walls of stone. The factory had a floor of cement and concrete. This room had an earthen floor. The factory was dark with broken lights. This room was bright with torch flames.  
  
This was Lichmonde's quarters.  
  
Through the open door, the two turkey-men flew in with their prizes. Humbly, they deposited them at their master's feet.  
  
Lichmonde nodded and dismissed them with a wave of his talon. His minions bowed formally and vanished through the opening.  
  
Lichmonde snapped his fingers. "Scout!"  
  
The sparrow flitted down onto the desk.  
  
"Go get those blithering idiots to hurry up. It's almost time, and we only have two."  
  
The sparrow chirped and flew out the window.  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~  
  
"Uh oh."  
  
Eduardo looked behind him. "What?"  
  
Kylie held up her pke meter. "Get a load of these readings."  
  
Eduardo walked over and peered at the screen. Lights were dancing wildly, their direction up.  
  
"Guess we found the ecto-bird."  
  
There was a sudden rush of wind. The pke meter fell to the floor.  
  
"Damn it."  
  
Eduardo reached down to pick up the fallen tool. "Darn wind. Freaked the hell outta me."  
  
He offered the pke meter in the direction he had been facing. "Kylie, quit dreaming already, and-Kylie?"  
  
No answer.  
  
Eduardo switched on his pke meter. The light emitted was minimum, but enough for him to see the vacant spot before him.  
  
"Hey Kylie, stop fooling around and come out where I can see you! Kylie? Hey, KYLIE!"  
  
There was still no answer. To Eduardo's left, a glowing feather fluttered down and landed on the floor.  
  
Sidus howled.  
  
"Oh damn..."  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~  
  
Outside the window, where the moon had hidden behind a cloud, a dark shadow perched on a thick sturdy branch. Its forelimbs cradled something young and slender.  
  
The shadow spoke to his prize in a singsong voice, not of the human tongue. "Sleep, my precious. Rest my pretty. Master will like you. He will be one with you..."  
  
= * =  
  
OMG!  
  
THEY GOT KYLIE!  
  
To be continued...  
  
= * = * = * = 


	9. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
"Oh damn... Oh damn..."  
  
Eduardo picked up the feather and read the readings off the pke meter.  
  
It was class 7 this time.  
  
"Crud."  
  
Sidus looked toward the door and growled.  
  
"Cut that out!"  
  
Sidus stopped mid-growl and glared at the Latino of its disinterest.  
  
Eduardo sighed. "Fine. I get it. Sorry, okay?"  
  
Sidus' eyes softened a little.  
  
Eduardo got up, still holding the feather. "Alright amigo, I don't like you and you don't like me. But if we want to find Kylie, Garrett and Roland, we gotta work together. Comprendo?"  
  
Sidus stared at Eduardo for a while. Then, slowly, he nodded his head.  
  
/I gotta admit. He IS smart. / Eduardo held out the feather, and Sidus sniffed it delicately.  
  
"Well? Anything?"  
  
Sidus lowered his head to the ground, then the air, and then the ground again. Then he scratched one of the doors to the left.  
  
Eduardo opened it for him.  
  
"Lead the way, partner."  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~  
  
Lichmonde smiled and stroked a feathery head. "Good for you, lad."  
  
A blue jay, owner to the aforementioned head, smiled smugly. Then it squawked with surprise as it was pushed off the desk.  
  
Lichmonde got up, left his chair, and ran his talon through jet-black hair.  
  
He stopped at the neck and frowned. "Strange..."  
  
He drew back his hand and recalled the blue jay. "The force is less than I thought. Go find out what's going on."  
  
The blue jay chirped and left.  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~  
  
Back in the hallway, the blue jay reverted to monster form and dug its talons into the ceiling.  
  
It waited.  
  
Any minute now...  
  
The door opened, and a ray of light splashed in.  
  
"HELLOOOOOOOOOOO! ANYBODY THERE?"  
  
/Too easy. /  
  
The shape-shifter tensed and prepared to pounce. /Master will be so proud of me. /  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~  
  
"Jeez, I should have brought a light of some sort..."  
  
Eduardo panned the pke meter from right, to left. Left, to right. Right, to-  
  
The readings started jumping. Class 7 again.  
  
"Uh oh."  
  
There was another gust of wind. Eduardo was bowled over by a strong arm.  
  
Glowing feathers fluttered to the ground.  
  
Eduardo grabbed his proton gun in time and fired.  
  
The creature was surprised.  
  
The beam had missed it by a mile.  
  
Suddenly, there was a roar louder and more fear bringing than thunder. In a flash of shadows, Sidus leapt up and clamped his powerful jaws on the back of the giant bird's head.  
  
The bird squawked with shock and rage, desperately clawing to rid it of its painful burden.  
  
Eduardo took the moment to grab whatever senses he could and fire again, this time more accurately. Sidus jumped back five seconds before the beam made contact. The bird shrieked and started to struggle. Eduardo's mind started to race. He needed a trap, but he didn't carry one.  
  
It was always Kylie who carried the trap.  
  
Sidus barked. Eduardo looked at him. Then he understood and nodded. He released his finger from the trigger.  
  
The moment the beam weakened and dissipated, Sidus leapt up again, this time locking onto the throat. With a shocked squawk, the blue jay crashed to the ground.  
  
Pinning the bird with all he had, Sidus exerted more pressure, his jaws digging deeper into the feather-covered neck.  
  
There was a dull snap.  
  
The birdman opened its mouth again, but no sound came out. What was left of it shrunk down and changed into the fresh corpse of what it once was - A blue jay.  
  
Eduardo stared wide-eyed at the dead body. "That was close. That was too way damn close."  
  
Sidus calmly licked the area where the bird had scratched him, and got up to continue.  
  
"Thanks dog. I guess I owe you one."  
  
Sidus turned around. Under the dim light of the pke meter, the two archenemies made genuine eye contact.  
  
Then they continued on like nothing had happened.  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~  
  
Scout sighed and tidied its feathers.  
  
The blue jay had been too careless.  
  
It would have to report the death to Lord Lichmonde.  
  
Then Scout noticed something left behind on the floor. It flew down and inspected it.  
  
It was a patch of black dog hair.  
  
/Could be useful. / Scout took the dog hair in its beak and flew away.  
  
= * =  
  
Can't live with 'im. Can't live without 'im.  
  
Sigh... What NEXT!  
  
= * = * = * = 


	10. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Kylie awoke to the stench of ammonia. She was surrounded by near to total darkness.

Kylie sat right up and groped at her back.

Her trap and gun were gone. Stuck to her shirt were several glowing feathers.

/ Great. /

After a few minutes, her eyes slowly adjusted to the minimal light, and the room started to take shape.

Fat cylindrical pillars lined the walls, and a rectangle outlined by dim light marked the door. Kylie picked the feathers off her shirt and held them in one cluster to make do for a torch. She placed one hand on the nearest pillar. It was very smooth. As a matter of fact, it was slightly warm and vibrating.

Curious, Kylie held up the glowing feathers to the pillar.

The pillar turned out to be a transparent glass tube with green liquid bubbling in it.

Immersed in the liquid was the old caretaker.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"What? She's awake already?"

Lichmonde called one of the turkeys over to him. "Keep an eye on her. I can't take any chances."

The turkey left to do his master's bidding.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Owowowowow........"

Roland rubbed the back of his head. He was dimly aware of the fact that he was in a very dark room.

Next to him, something moved. Roland panicked and scooted backwards as fast as he could on his butt. What a lousy time it was to lose his proton gun.

"Jeez...Did anyone get that guy's number plate?"

Roland stopped short. "Garrett? That you?"

"Who were you expecting? Bugs Bunny?" came the sarcastic reply.

Roland let out a sigh of relief. 

Garrett dragged himself slowly across the floor. "Any idea where we are?"

"Nope. None at all." Roland got up and started feeling up and down the walls. "Hang on while I try to find a light."

"How about the feather you got?" Garrett offered.

Roland dug inside his pocket until he found the glowing object. The small pool of light shone onto the wall, revealing two empty tubes. They reeked of ammonia.

Garrett covered his nose. "Phew! Wonder what those things are for?"

The previously invisible door flew open, and in walked a very familiar turkey carrying a burning torch.

The room was immediately illuminated, and more tubes came into sight. Each one held a body immersed in bubbly green liquid.

"No way."

The bird sneered at them.

Roland backed up against a bare wall. "They're meant for _us_!"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Lichmonde looked up. "What is it, Scout?"

The sparrow descended upon the desk and presented the patch of dog fur to its master.

Lichmonde eyed the black hair skeptically. Then he picked up the clump and examined it. His eyes went wide.

"It can't be..." He turned back to Scout. "Where did you get this?"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Eduardo opened another door, and flinched. "Oh man, it _stinks_ in here!"

Sidus shuddered at the unfamiliar smell. He didn't like it either.

Eduardo held the pke meter up to a large tube with a body in it. "Hmm. One of the factory personnel. Looks like the bird's been here and done that. I wonder if he's still alive..."

Eduardo experimentally tapped at the glass. The body did not move.

Suddenly, Sidus barked a warning, but it came too late.

There was a loud thud, and Eduardo fell to the floor unconscious.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

#Sidus POV#

Aw man aw man aw man! They're back! **_THEY'RE BACK!_**

Come on Rivera, get up! Come on, get up!

The bird's looking at me. I don't like this. In fact I can tell what it means.

Whatever spook is here, it knows who I am.

It knows what I am.

Get up Rivera! GET UP!

The bird's getting closer. It's not Latino Boy here it's after. 

**_It wants me._**

Looks like there's only one way out of this.

Man, I hope this works.

It HAS to work!

But.......will it?

#End of Sidus POV#

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The turkey brought its talon hard down upon the dog's head, knocking it to the floor. The dog lay there with eyes closed.

A smaller bird of the blackbird variety came up to it.

"I'll take the dog to Master. You get that one to an empty 'Purifier'."

The turkey scooped up Sidus in its talons and flew off, leaving its lower rank with the human.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The turkey presented its prize before its master. 

Lichmonde nodded. "Hmmm. Very nice..."

He reached forward and touched the dog's head.

Nothing happened.

"FOOL!" Lichmonde slapped his minion in the face. "This is just an empty body!"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The blackbird bent down and reached for Eduardo's proton gun.

Eduardo's hand suddenly shot out and struck the blackbird so hard it fell over. Eduardo immediately sprang to his feet, grabbed the bird by its scruff and threw it forcefully against a wall. The blackbird slid off the wall and landed splayed out on the floor with the seven planets revolving around its head.

Eduardo grinned and flexed his knuckles. A star-shaped medallion dangled from his neck. "I don't think so."

= * = * = * =


	11. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Eduardo walked up to the dazed blackbird. He studied how stupid it looked with its tongue hanging out of its beak. Gently he placed his hand on the bird's head.

Eduardo's eyes glazed over and he fell back to the floor, out cold.

The blackbird sat up slowly, scratching its head. The star medallion bounced softly on its feathery chest.

"Wow. Guess this ain't too hard after all."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The terrified and bruised turkey scuttled away as fast as it could. Still fuming but slightly cooled off, Lichmonde looked back at the body on the floor.

/ If that body is empty, / he thought. / Then where's the spirit? /

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Eduardo was vaguely aware that someone was tapping the top of his head. His vision was a little blurry, then it sharpened and he saw a blackbird staring at him.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Eduardo screamed.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The blackbird screamed. It did a backward flip and hyperventilated. "JEEZ! Watcha tryin' t' do? Gimme a heart attack?!"

Eduardo pulled out his proton gun. "STAY BACK!"

The blackbird rolled its eyes and sighed in exaggeration. "Aw c'mon! Do we hafta go through this ev'ry time?"

Eduardo lowered the proton gun. "Wait. I think I know you from somewhere..."

"Ya should, y'know." Before Eduardo could move, the blackbird walked right up to him and tapped him on the forehead. Eduardo blinked.

"You're the ghost I saw three weeks ago!" Eduardo pointed out accusingly.

"Right. Now ya can stop yellin' like a five-year-old, or I'll help ya."

Eduardo obediently clamped his mouth shut.

The blackbird reached forward and scooped Eduardo up in its talons. "I know where they took Ky an' th' others. I'll give ya a lift."

Eduardo glared at the medallion still hanging on the bird's front. "Mind telling me where you got that?"

"Um.....I found it on th' floor?"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

It was finally midnight.

"It's time." 

Lichmonde called Scout to him. "Tell them to start the Purification process from wherever they are. We can't afford to delay anymore."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"We're here."

The blackbird put Eduardo down in front of a room with a sealed door. 

The bird looked up at the moon. "Good, it's midnight. Easier t' get in. Here's where I need yer help, Rivera."

"Sure, amigo. What do I do?"

The blackbird raised one talon. "Just turn around an' don't move......."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Kylie stared at the bird monster on the other side of the room. It had a torch with it, so that it could keep an eye on her better.

The only opening present was the door, but there was no way she could get past the 'animal' and open the door in time.

No way out.

The door slid open, and the silhouette of another birdman stood before the doorframe. The guard also turned to see.

The blackbird did not move from the door.

Then it fell forward, revealing a grinning Eduardo behind it.

"Hi!"

Eduardo fired at the guard. It shrieked as proton energy swam around it. Carefully and steadily, Eduardo lifted the bird up...and up....and up.

The blackbird stirred and scratched its head in a dazed confusion.

Eduardo released the struggling guard, and it crash-landed on the blackbird before it could even move its wings.

Both birds were knocked out.

Eduardo beckoned. "Let's go! We've only got half an hour t' get t' th' guys!"

Kylie pointed at one of the tubes. "But what about them?"

"They're already dead. Now c'mon!"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Lichmonde frowned and glared at the moon.

He could definitely feel that something was going on. Someone was probably ruining all his carefully laid plans at that very moment.

Or maybe he was just being paranoid.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The turkey slumped to the floor and stopped moving.

Eduardo and Kylie ran up to the two tubes holding Garrett and Roland.

"How are we going to get them out?"

Eduardo charged his proton gun. "The Rambo way. Get back!"

A stream of proton energy rushed forward and splashed onto the tubes. The glass promptly shattered, spilling the liquid all over the floor, where it evaporated into nothingness.

Garrett and Roland tumbled out of the tubes, gasping for breath. Both looked a little queasy.

"Thanks." Garrett managed to whisper. Roland had his hand over his mouth.

"You guys feel okay?" Kylie asked.

Garrett sighed and closed his eyes. Roland crawled feebly to a corner and retched.

Kylie grimaced slightly. "Thanks for sharing."

Eduardo dragged the unconscious turkey out. "Ya watch th' guys, Kylie. I'll take care of this one."

"Sure, I suppose." Kylie watched the turkey disappear from sight. / Strange. If I didn't know better, I'd say Eduardo sounded like someone else. /

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Eduardo dumped the turkey on the floor, and checked his surroundings.

All clear.

He knelt down and placed his hand on the turkey's head. / I'm coming for you, Lichmonde. /

= * =

Oh yeah!

SHOWDOWN!

To be continued...

= * = * = * =


	12. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Lichmonde felt the familiar cold rush of wind against his feathery back.

Behind him, a young blackbird knelt down and laid Eduardo on the floor carefully.

".........." Lichmonde studied the offering with a lazy eye. He slowly advanced toward the unconscious figure.

"Would you like to know something, child?"

The blackbird silently kept its eyes focused on the earthen floor.

"Usually, I like to give credit where credit is due. Usually, I'd compliment my boys for doing things right. But," His eyes flicked up to rest on the blackbird's head. "I can't compliment you. Do you want to know why?"

The blackbird sneaked a peek up at Lichmonde.

Suddenly, he was slapped across the face so hard he went flying into the wall.

Lichmonde smiled sinisterly. "Because you're not one of my boys."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"You guys alright back there?"

Garrett gave a thumbs-up from atop Roland's back. Roland shifted Garrett into a better carrying position.

"Okay." Kylie picked up a rusted iron rod from the pile of discarded metal factory junk on the floor.

She raised the rod over her head as though it were a baseball bat, and silently approached her unsuspecting target.

Scout saw stars as it got whacked in the back of its head full force. Its eyes rolled to the back of its head and it collapsed to the floor in a messy heap.

Garrett held up Roland's feather and caught a glint of metal.

"Look! There's our stuff!"

Kylie poked the sparrow with the rod to make sure that it was really out cold. When she was satisfied that it was, she approached the other end of the room and retrieved Garrett's wheelchair.

Roland let Garrett down into the chair before he checked their equipment. "It's a good thing they left our proton packs intact."

Garrett eagerly picked up his own pack. "Boy am I glad to see you!"

Kylie switched on one of the pke meters. "We've got company over there!" She pointed down the other door at the end of the hallway.

Garrett strapped the pack into its rightful place upon his back. "Okay boys and girls, who wants to kick some serious ghost bird butt?"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Sidus looked up at Lichmonde through the blackbird's beady eyes. He slowly got back up to his feet. "Ya sure are sharp-witted for a bird."

Lichmonde smirked back. "I know my children better than you think, **dog boy**."

Sidus ducked as Lichmonde attempted to strike him again. "Guess evolution and mutation haven't improved your IQ any!"

"........"

Sidus felt the wind knocked out of him as Lichmonde's hard talon rammed into the soft flesh of the blackbird's unguarded stomach.

Lichmonde's other talon flew to the back of the blackbird's neck and _pulled_.

Sidus felt himself literally ripped from the blackbird's body by his neck.

Lichmonde smirked as he hurled the ghost and sent him crashing into the desk.

"You know nothing about playing with the big boys, **puppy**."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Kylie, Garrett and Roland charged through the hallway, leaving unconscious birds all over the floor behind them.

"So what's the deal?"

Roland tweaked the pke meter knob to preview the last readings they took. "These bird spirits are unlike anything ever encountered!"

"That's nice. What makes them so special?"

"We can't trap them!"

"Okay, that's bad. What do we do?"

"Hey guys. Remember Morpheus?"

"You think that these birdies are bits and pieces of some Bird Almighty?"

"If that were the case, we wouldn't have been able to blast them at all!"

"You've got a point."

The conversation was cut short by the pke meter.

"We're finish this later. We've got a class 9 behind that door!"

Roland grabbed the doorknob and pushed. "It's locked!"

Garrett backed away from the door as much as possible. "Stand back, Rol! Leave this to the Monster Truck!"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Sidus crouched low on the floor, growling. Blood dampened the black fur above his right eye.

Returning to his original dog body seemed to be ad bad idea. He definitely wasn't getting anywhere near to doing some serious injury to the huge raven before him.

With a snarl, Sidus flung himself at Lichmonde again. Before he could get his teeth into the talon, he was promptly knocked away again.

/ Where's good ol' Lassie when you need her? /

"You're pathetic, pup."

Sidus leapt clear as Lichmonde went into aggressive and lashed out at him.

"You can't defeat me in such a weak form!"

Sidus leapt a distance away. Oh yeah? 

Lichmonde suddenly screamed in pain as proton energy pummeled his back.

Eduardo gritted his teeth as he increased the power slightly and kept his hold on the trigger.

With a crash, the door at one end of the wall collapsed, revealing the rest of the Ghost Buster crew.

May be so, Feathers. Sidus grinned human-style. But at least it earns me some backup. 


	13. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Look! There they are!"

From the broken and splintered doorway, Eduardo and Sidus could be seen still in combat with Lichmonde.

"Guess that must be the top guy?"

"May be. No harm in wondering."

"GUYS!" Eduardo ducked from another wild punch. "A little help here?"

Roland charged his proton gun. "On three!"

"THREE!"

Lichmonde saw the green beam of proton energy bearing down upon him and ducked.

More beams rained down, none successful.

One beam brushed against Lichmonde's wing and singed the feathers.

Lichmonde screeched with pain and charged blindly at the group.

"KYLIE! LOOK OUT!"

Eduardo stopped firing and leapt at the Gothic girl, bowling both of them out of harm's reach.

There was a loud roar of rage.

A blur of black fur whizzed past the group and launched itself at the raven.

Both beasts went tumbling into the desk, smashing it into unrecognizable splinters and fragments.

Sidus snarled and bit hard into the talon, finally succeeding in ripping the flesh.

Lichmonde grunted and punched the dog away.

"THREE!"

Lichmonde heard it come, but found no way to dodge.

Then they had him.

Encircled by the green proton energy, the fearsome raven had nowhere to escape to.

Kylie swung the trap out under the bird like a Frisbee.

Lichmonde's eyes widened reasonably.

He didn't know what that thing would do to him, but he wasn't planning on finding out.

Despite the proton beams, he focused all his energy into his inner being and soul.

His eyes glowed feral red. His pupils vanished as the orbs shone with anger.

Then he threw his head back and screamed.

"Trap it! Trap it!"

Kylie pushed the button. 

With the delightful clang, the ghost trap opened and its light shone out.

The scream was raised by a dozen more decibels.

The torches got snuffed out at a rapid speed.

All the birds within the factory joined their leader in his cry of fear and agony.

There was a burst of white light that engulfed the entire room.

The Ghost Busters were brutally flung into the far end.

Then it all ended with a dramatic explosion.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Ugh......"

Kylie awoke to Sidus' tongue which was feverishly mopping her face. He didn't seize until she finally sat up and cleared her head.

"Is everyone okay?"

There was a movement beside her. "I'm not dead. That's for sure."

Squeaks were heard behind her as Garrett pulled his chair over to his self.

Then light returned to the dark room as Roland turned on the pke meter.

The earthen floors were gone. In their place was the regular concrete tiling.

Gone too were the medieval looking torches. Along the bare walls were the familiar windows.

As well as a light switch next to the broken door.

Wondering if the power was working, Eduardo flicked the switch.

Nothing happened.

"Let's just grab the trap and get out of here."

"I'll agree on that."

Kylie walked across the room to retrieve the trap. 

Then she had the paranoid feeling that there were more people than usual in the room.

Next to the yellow metal ghost-cage huddled another figure.

"Hey Roland! Could you shine some light over here?"

Roland joined Kylie, and the light of the pke meter shone down on the figure.

It was a young teenage boy, probably around 15 or 16.

His eyes were perfectly spherical orbs.

His teeth gritted in a look of intense pain.

His arm had teeth marks, the blood still flowing.

He was dead.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The Ecto-1 pulled up in the Firehouse garage.

"That was one heck of a terrible experience."

"Do you think the cops will believe us?"

"We can only hope so."

Egon greeted his students at the door. "What happened back there? It's way past midnight, and you didn't respond when I called you on the car radio!"

"We were held up in the building." Kylie passed the ghost trap.

"Ghost birds." Roland presented Egon with his collection of feathers.

"Hmmmm......." Egon switched on the table lamp and held the feathers up to the light. ".....Fascinating......."

"So any idea why they're still glowing, Egon?"

"One possibility is that there are more out there. The second is that there is one individual of higher level that is on the loose."

"Cancel both. We already bagged Bird Almighty."

Kylie came back upstairs looking more pale than usual. "Um, guys?"

"Yeah?"

She held up the trap. "It's empty."

"Of course it's empty! You put the ghost into the containment unit!"

"No, it was empty from the very beginning."

A moment of silence ensued.

"He's still out there."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

_A little later, around 7 in the morning......_

"Tina! Look what I found!"

"Eww! Get it away from me!"

"Oh come on! Don't you find him cute?"

"MOOOOOOMMMMMMMYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!! Mark brought a dead bird into the house!"

"He's not dead, you dummy! See, he's still breathing! Look!"

"MMMMMMMOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"MARCUS STEPHEN WALLACE! YOU TAKE THAT THING OUT OF THIS HOUSE NOW!!!"

"Aw, Mom!"

"YOU HEARD ME, YOUNG MAN! I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU DO WITH IT! GET IT OUT OF HERE NOW!"

"Alright! Alright! I'm going!"

There was a loud slam of a door. A little boy with blond bristly hair walked down the stairs of the front porch. He looked at the black feathery mess still cradled in his palms. The bird's eyes were shut, and it looked badly hurt.

"Don't worry little guy, I'll take good care of you." / After all, Mom didn't say anything about him staying in the garage. /

The boy placed the bird into a shoebox with a dry washcloth he had pinched when his mother wasn't looking.

The Great Dane chained to a post near the back wall stood up and eyed the box.

"Look Duke! You've got a new friend. Maybe I can tame him and teach him tricks!"

The boy placed the box upon a corner of the workbench, out of the huge animal's reach.

Then he turned and ran back to the house to wash up.

As the door slammed shut for the second time, the box was gradually bathed in red light.

The Great Dane whimpered and cowered as far back as he could from the box.

The bird opened its eyes and glared at the air.

"**_I'll.....Be....Back....._**"

= * = * = * =


	14. Epilogue: A Word From Howling WereWolf

Epilogue

Hi people!

It's LENG here, previously known as LENG The Flying Chocobo, now known as Howling WereWolf!

We've come to the end of The Promise Of The Star!

Sad to say, Zaki SpiritWolf won't be making any more appearances. The two of us are going solo.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

_**StormyWolfBowler**_: Thank you for being the most faithful reader of all time! I greatly appreciate your support as well as the ideas you supplied me with. Once again, Thank You!

**_AngstWolf_**: Thanks for your enthusiastic reviews. Although I only received a few, reading your reviews has boosted my confidence to keep on marching forward!

**_Fishton_**: Although I only heard once from you, I'm glad to know that there are many Extreme Ghost Buster fans out there, which is much much more than the number of Extreme Ghost Buster stories. I hope for more EGB stories in the near future as well.

**_eva_**: You make me feel so flattered! *blushes* I will continue to work harder!

**_Nitequeen_**: Thanks for your compliments on my interpretation of the Kylie/Eduardo pairing!

**_Dinette_**: Thanks for reviewing. It is reviewers like you that encourage writers to keep going!

**_Ky_**: I was really really glad to hear from you as well. I had been considering removing fiction when I saw your review! Thanks for helping me keep it standing!

**_Silvermagess_**: Thank you for the reassurance about my Garrett/Kylie part! I'm glad that people actually appreciate my humor!

**_Starian Princess_**: I may not say much, but I appreciate your review as much as everyone else's!

_**RPG Hui**_: Although your reviews weren't very constructive, thanks anyway! Love ya, sis!

**_eXtreme eVolution_**: Thanks for all those reviews you sent me! You don't know how proud you made me feel! Don't worry, I'll do my best to make the next story as good, if not better!

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

What is next on my list?

Yup. You guessed it! [didn't you?]

Dark Canine Book II: The Revenge Of The Raven

I'll have it up and running ASAP!

Once again, my fellow fiction lovers, all your reviews were greatly appreciated, no matter how many words long!

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

= * = * = * =


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